Freelander drivetrain - and it sounds like it...

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fluffy357

New Member
Posts
11
Location
Huddersfield.
Right then I have a 98 Freelander. Love it to bits. However, last week it started making a noise. It sounds like a very very quiet steam train. It's not loud.
I thought I’d caught something on the prop shaft initially like a twig or a cat maybe, but there’s no debris under there.
Checked the brakes, checked the wheel bearings. Didn't think it was either of them, but thought I'd rule them out to be on the safe side.
So it’s definitely coming from something on the drivetrain.

The VCU works. I tried to do the whole wheel in the air test, but even though I’m a weak girlie I was worried by the whole thing rocking about on the jack. I’m ‘alone’ and I didn’t want anything falling off anything, and squashing my foot, and I certainly didn’t fancy being underneath clutching an 18” iron bar – it all sounded very dangerous. So I gave up on that one and primarily set about finding something that was stronger than me, preferably designed specifically for turning the wheels. Ah ha !! The engine !
I then came up with and subsequently performed what I shall proudly call the ‘tippex & mud test’.
This involved planting the front wheels in a flowerbed, between my crocuses and my daffodils, with several bucketfulls of water, leaving the rear wheels on the drive, applying the handbrake and then gently (?) abusing the clutch whilst hanging out of the drivers door and observing the wheels and propshafts.
Do not try this too close to your prize dahlias lest your foot slip off the clutch, and be very sure of your rear brakes – which will groan a bit unless the VCU is completely knackered and spins wildly. (You may also want to wear a helmet just in case the car is catapulted forward for any reason and the door slams shut on your head.) Anyway, the test worked, and it’s stiff and slow, just how it should be (the VCU that is).

There’s nothing oozing out of anywhere it shouldn’t. There’s no visibly perished rubber bits. There’s nothing hanging or dangling off anything. The diff is full of clean, but hideously stinky oil that takes an age to wash out of your hair, but I don’t think the noise is coming from the back anyway. There’s no play in anything that sticks into or is bolted onto anything else, in any direction, it’s all as tight as a drum.

So my next plan is either to drop the whole prop assembly including the VCU and then take it for a spin to see if that gets rid of the noise. In which case the prop bearings would be the likely culprit. OR (or AND THEN) suck all the aforementioned stinky oil out of the IRD (I believe it’s the same acrid stuff that’s in the diff), don the marigold and a gas mask, and poke about in it with a magnet to see if there’s any crispy crunchiness in there that shouldn’t be.

I know I’m almost guaranteed to find something if teeth have fallen off something. What I don’t know is, if I DON’T find any crispy crunchiness, will this indicate that the bearing are mostly likely intact? i.e. if the bearings start to break up/wear will they necessarily end up in the oil or might they hide elsewhere, like in the carriers, while they are minced up?

I don’t really want to start pulling bits off willy nilly and breaking fingernails just for a look see. These car bits tend to be heavy, and usually dirty – not at all girl friendly.

So, any thoughts anyone? (Be polite)
 
don't panic, someone will be along soon with a good idea. Maybe try dropping rear prop (see mondo mode). Might help to eliminate VCU, rear prop bearing and rear diff
 
Mine is undriveable, going into garage tomorrow to see what is wrong with it, Im expecting the worse as have already had it up on ramp and rear diff is ok so am expecting the IRD to be kanckered
 
IRD has a magnet on the end of "drain plug" I know,I found several 1/2" bits of teeth on it when I came to change the old Black!!! "fluid" for the new Synthetic fluid, and by the way it's not the same as the Diff, if yours is Black, it's never been changed,as this wasput in at Solihull where it was built.
 
Had a similar noise on mine which sounded very bearing-y or missing geartooth-y. Whatever, it sounded metal-to-metal and convinced me that a big bill was on the horizon.

Turned out to be uneven wear in the tyres. Probably caused by that endearing quality that Freelanders have of trying to shread the tyres when you make any turn at full-lock.

Anyway, diagnosing this problem by changing all 4 tyres is a bit expensive, so try borrowing a set from a generous Landyzone member and see if it goes away.....
 
I had a grinding noise as the rear prop flange tried to wear itself through my fuel tank support / guard due to worn diff mounts. - Can you see any wear marks??

Also had a horrendous noise from the rear, but resonated throughout the cabin / vehicle. This turned out to be a worn rear wheel bearing. Initially I thought it was my rear diff so I packed with grease and carried on for a further 4000 miles. Eventually it got too much to bear and i swapped the diff for a 2006 item (Uprated bearings). To my dismay the noise was still there.

When the rear wheel bearings were finally replaced, the worn one dropped out easily and the other side (quiet and working) had to be removed with pressure!!

The above might not be the same in your case, but worth a try. Wish I hadn't bought a new rear diff :( Although I do still have the original as a spare!!

Regards,

Steve
 
This sounds a bit like a wheel bearing but it's too quick. There's nothing wearing anything, props are clear of everything, rear diff mounts still looking okay. And my tyres are fine - nothing going on there.
I've had every wheel up in the air and tried to waggle them about and there's no play in the bearings.
Like I say it'd not an horrific grinding noise - just sounds like a Defender rather than a 'car'. Only had the sound for a week. I'd be surprised to find any teeth in the IRD oil - I haven't looked at that yet.
Steve - did you check your wheel bearings before you did the diff? If so did they seem okay? It might just be me not jiggling them hard enough.
And I'm still suspicious of the VCU bearings, cos it sounds like I'm sat on the noise. But again I've jiggled that about and I can squish it about in the rubber things, but again no knocking or little clicky movements. At the end of the it looks like they're going to be the first things under there that are going to get some dirt it and wear.
 
It just happened suddenly no warning, driving down a slip road and bang, sounded like the prop shaft was ready to come off, Having worked with machinery for years that regularly snapped shafts and ujs this was exactly what it sounded like but when I went underneath the prop was fine , so I am suspecting the IRD has shed some teeth, I hope im wrong cause I dont want a big repair bill. was taken away to garage today so should hear by tomorrow lunch time what the problem is
 
Steve - did you check your wheel bearings before you did the diff? If so did they seem okay? It might just be me not jiggling them hard enough.

No - I simply assumed that the diff had gone as I had covered about 109K at the time. After fitting the new diff, I removed the prop shaft in a bid to narrow down the noise. It was still there, so I cheekily went to my LR dealer and asked for an estimate. At £246 per side I blagged them about waiting to get paid and got the job done independently (never done a wheel bearing despite changing engines gearboxes etc) for £170 for both rears.

At the dealer and on the ramp, they turned my rear wheels (easy as no prop) and we could hear the slightest grinding. In fact it almost sounded the same as when a brake shoe leading edge is contacting a drum.

I hope you get it sorted - perhaps drop your prop front to back and go for a drive - it could be your VCU bearings after all.

Regards,

Steve
 
Okay. Now I've got an occassional squeak with it. Something somewhere is drying out...
Can't get the IRD filler thing out to have a look in there.
Want to poke around in the CVs....how the hell do you get those rubber things off anyway.
 
It just happened suddenly no warning, driving down a slip road and bang, sounded like the prop shaft was ready to come off,

I'm a bit worried by this tale of woe. Still can't get the plug out of the IRD for a look, I'm too weak, the floor's hard, and I broke a nail. I'm taking it to a garage next week.

Ann
 
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